David's BlogMonday, July 29, 2013Support the Businesses that Support Spirit Valley Days
It is
Duluth's biggest neighborhood festival. There is something fun and compelling
for everyone. It includes: a classic car show, a parade, a 5K walk/run, music
in the park, stage shows, children's games, a Miss West Duluth Pageant, and a
raucous street dance.
The
center of this rollicking entertainment is Grand & Central Avenues - the
heart of beautiful Spirit Valley in Duluth's historic West Duluth. It is a
remarkable gathering place situated at the intersection of a proud, resilient
neighborhood and a thriving, benevolent business community.
If you
are truly in the spirit for Spirit Valley Days, you will begin the celebration
Wednesday, July 31 and participate until Sunday, August 4. It is a four-day
extravaganza. In recent years, I have truly been in the spirit for Spirit
Valley Days. It is a celebration I look forward to and enthusiastically
participate in and support. It is about as much fun as this uptight, aging,
chamber guy can handle.
My
appreciation for Spirit Valley Days is heightened because I am proud of the
many businesses that so graciously sponsor the celebration. Several of these
businesses are also members of the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce. Without
fanfare, these Chamber members fund several of the activities, attractions and
venues that make this gathering enjoyable. They include: Super One Foods &
Super One Liquor, Members Cooperative Credit Union, Waste Management, Duluth
Budgeteer News, Duluth Business University, Anytime Fitness, US Bank, Solutions
Insurance Agencies, Andren's Paint Company, Tortoise & Hare Footwear, the
Jamar Company, Susan Coen State Farm Insurance, and Mr. D's Bar & Grill.
Businesses
add to the gathering by participating as food venders and arts & crafts
venders. They also encourage their customers and clients to attend Spirit
Valley Days.
Spirit
Valley Days is a wonderful example of how volunteers, businesses, participants
and supporters can join forces to host and enjoy a remarkable neighborhood
celebration.
I hope
you will join me at Spirit Valley Days. It is an ideal opportunity to
experience a strong sense of place and community. For these four days, we all
can be from West Duluth and we can all be Denfeld Hunters.
David Ross, President & CEO
posted by David Ross
at
6:32 AM
Monday, July 01, 2013Choose Duluth
Duluth's
economy is thriving. It appears our beloved community has adroitly
melded our working, industrial port heritage with a new entrepreneurial
culture. It is a synergy that is creating opportunity for our community
members and for future Duluthians.
Businesses,
companies and corporations are making massive private investments in
our community. Altec HiLine, ME Global, Enbridge, AAR, and maurices are
expanding and, while doing so, bringing hundreds of new jobs to our
Zenith City.
This
investment is allowing Duluth to keep our unemployment rate lower than
the state average and the national average. This is a remarkable and
energizing reversal of Duluth's fortunes. We have come a long way since
the 1980's when our unemployment rate was the highest in Minnesota.
The
good news continues. Duluth is cultivating and supporting the most
recent generation of entrepreneurs. They are choosing Duluth, in part,
because they are striving in our authentic and adventurous city.
More
jobs and opportunities are on Duluth's breathtaking horizon. For the
first time in decades, Duluth will soon have a wave of career job
openings. Baby Boomers are in the twilight of our careers. There will
soon be thousands of job openings in: healthcare, education, government,
utilities and business services as my generation of Boomers retire.
While this evolution is not unique to Duluth, it represents a unique
opportunity for Duluth.
In
the past, it was the lack of jobs in Duluth that kept hundreds of
would-be Duluthians from making the pilgrimage to our Shining City on
the Hill. The jobs are now available. It is time for your family members
and your friends to see Duluth for what is has become - the land of
opportunity.
In
stark contrast to our revitalization - Suburbia is dying. There is a
migration back to the urban core cities and back to the cities of
heritage and distinction and natural beauty. Duluth enjoys all of these
distinctions. We are a community that offers world class natural assets.
Mayor Ness is intent on staking our claim as one of the world's premier
urban outdoor adventure cities.
Outdoor
Magazine has discovered Duluth. The magazine ranked our city as one of
the Top 10 places to live in the United States. Additionally, it
recently identified Duluth as the second best outdoor adventure hub in
the entire world. I am confident you will join me in forgiving Outdoor
Magazine for not naming us as the best outdoor hub.
Duluthians
have a profound connection to our hillside home. We also have a deep
emotional connection to Lake Superior, the Greatest of the Great Lakes.
It is this natural beauty that so beautifully complements our
world-class healthcare, excellent educational opportunities, strong and
safe neighborhoods, affordable housing. It is a rare community that
offers all of these things.In conclusion, a creative and engaged culture has been reborn in Duluth. Our deep working class roots have united with a progressive spirit to create a distinct blend of loyalty, pride and optimism. Visitors can witness it. Yet, to truly experience this compelling spirit, one must live amidst this remarkable topography. So, tell your family and friends who are not yet Duluthians to make their move. Now is the time. Tell them it is an ideal time to choose Duluth. 
David Ross, President & CEO
posted by David Ross
at
7:35 AM
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